This story popped up on the landing page that I get when I log out of my webmail ...

Interesting aesthetics - and questionable taste (how many jokes can be made about "riding her", "town bike", etc ???) .... apart from kitting it out with Campag that is - that's the best bit about the bike ...

The riding position looks a bit silly - check out the saddle thrust and the lever position - but I guess you can correct that to some extent.

You've got a frame with chain stays piercing two carbon fibre butt cheeks and a set of carbon fibre boobs just behind the head tube and you reckon that the seat and bar position look a bit funny????

That said, you're right ... and why would you ever put on a set back seatpost and slam the saddle forward?? Wont even start on not having the tops of the Ergo levers parallel to the ground ...

BTW - do you think that we should be worried by the fact that, in the rest of the internet, people will be getting all hot under the collar about the sexist nature of the frame or getting all excited about how sexy it looks, and we're discussing seat and bar positions????

You've got a frame with chain stays piercing two carbon fibre butt cheeks and a set of carbon fibre boobs just behind the head tube and you reckon that the seat and bar position look a bit funny????

That said, you're right ... and why would you ever put on a set back seatpost and slam the saddle forward?? Wont even start on not having the tops of the Ergo levers parallel to the ground ...

BTW - do you think that we should be worried by the fact that, in the rest of the internet, people will be getting all hot under the collar about the sexist nature of the frame or getting all excited about how sexy it looks, and we're discussing seat and bar positions????

(My answer is "no, they're the ones with the issues ...")

At first glance, I saw a rather odd bike. The "woman" in it didn't appear on second glance (Campag) or even third glance (bizarro frame consisting of composite tubes). I don't know if that makes me sexist or just stupid. I hope the latter, for at least then I can be forgiven by a ruthless culture!

Contrary to what dry discussions about bike setup might suggest, cycling is kind of psychosexual for me, but I can't identify with the designer/builder's premise. He may be making allusions to that, but it didn't connect the dots to where it is in my head. That is a far murkier place.

Top marks for Campag though and the yellowish finish is quite nice actually ...

No, no, no...it's not even "yellowish." I just checked with the Colombian women's team, IDRD-Bogota Humana-San Mateo-Solgar, and they assured me that it was "gold."

Speaking for myself, I can't say that the slide-show breakdown of the image was really necessary. For the briefest of moments, I thought maybe the frame was supposed to resemble a femur, or other skeletal part, but the conspicuous "breasts" were an obvious giveaway . I mean, has there ever been a shape like that, in that location, on any frame ever?

That being said, I imagine this design will be adopted as the "official" frame for next year's E3 Harelbeke?

I am a bit surprised that anyone would NOT recognize the shape. It was immediately apparent to me - but given the link lead-in, I was pre-loaded, so to speak. I, also, found the photo breakdown to be unnecessary.

As for why to jam the saddle forward on that seatpost? The lines, man, the lines. Look at the lines, and to me it is obvious - if you move the saddle back, the lines are - - - off. I can't think how else to say it, and I know this is inadequate.

But, frankly, I think that may have been accidental, given that the levers are, indeed, off. THEIR lines are bad - however, they are also a completely minor subtext in the overall composition, whereas the saddle and seatpost combo is a supporting note.

Personally, I found the butt cheeks to be not only overkill, but obscenely so, and offensive. I am of the school that believes natural is way cool, and innuendo is mighty fine, but blatantly sexploitative is about as uncool as you can get. It's that fine line the Supreme Court had so much trouble with some 50 years ago. Except I am somewhat to the nude side of that line. It is still difficult to define.

I'm glad somebody else even had the sense to notice that the components were Campy. I have to admit that was not the 1st or 2nd thing that crossed my mind.

It puts me in mind of the changes to art as the classical Mediterranean world evolved into the Byzantine - although the features that were exaggerated were different. For those of you who would have to look this up - a lot of art (I think most) from classical Greece and Rome was realistic in aspect. About the time that Constantine took the title of Emperor, art was transitioning to representational. For instance, the eyes (of a painted figure) became exaggeratedly large. Also, figures in art became very 2 dimensional.